John Birch (Roundhead)
Colonel John Birch (7 September 1615 – 10 May 1691) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1646 and 1691. He fought for the Parliamentary cause in the English civil war.
Biography
Birch played a significant role in the battle of Cropredy Bridge, Oxfordshire on 29 June 1644.
On 18 December 1645, Parliamentarians under the command of Birch and Colonel Morgan captured the City of Hereford.[citation needed] Birch was appointed Governor of Hereford.[1]
In 1646 Birch besieged and captured Goodrich Castle from the Royalist Sir Henry Lingen. He was also elected Member of Parliament for Leominster as a recruiter to the Long Parliament. He was re-elected MP for Leominster in 1654, 1656, 1659 and 1660.[2]
Following the Restoration, Birch was elected MP for Penryn in the Cavalier Parliament. He was elected MP for Weobley in the two elections of 1679, in 1681, 1689 and 1690.[2]
Birch is buried in a monumental tomb in Weobley Church.
One of the regiments of the Sealed Knot historical reenactment association is Col. John Birch's Regiment.
References
- ^ Willis-Bund 1905, p. 175.
- ^ a b Ferris, John P. (1983). "Birch, John (1615-91)". In Henning, B. D. (ed.). The House of Commons 1660-1690. The History of Parliament Trust.
References
- Willis-Bund, John William (1905), The Civil War In Worcestershire, 1642-1646: And the Scotch Invasion Of 1651, Birmingham: The Midland Educational Company, pp. 175
External links
- Brief history of the Life of John Birch (up to the start of his political career)
- Biography on British Civil Wars site
- Battle of Cropredy Bridge
- House of Commons Journal for 22 December 1645 recording the arrival of news of the capture of Hereford
- References to Col Birch in The Diary of Samuel Pepys
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs
- 1615 births
- 1691 deaths
- English army officers
- Roundheads
- Members of the pre-1707 English Parliament for constituencies in Cornwall
- English MPs 1640–1648
- English MPs 1654–1655
- English MPs 1656–1658
- English MPs 1659
- English MPs 1660
- English MPs 1661–1679
- English MPs 1679
- English MPs 1680–1681
- English MPs 1681
- English MPs 1689–1690
- English MPs 1690–1695
- 17th-century English military personnel
- Parliament of England (pre-1707) MP stubs
- English military personnel stubs